6 seriously hurt after van crashes into Chicago fire truck

Six people, including two children, were seriously injured when the minivan they were in hit a Chicago fire engine that was heading to a call

By Liam Ford
Chicago Tribune

CHICAGO — Six people, including two children, were seriously injured when the minivan they were in hit a Chicago fire engine that was heading to a call Monday morning, officials said.

The crash happened about 8:45 a.m. in the 3100 block of South California Avenue, according to police.

Four people, including two children, were taken to Stroger Hospital in serious-to-critical condition, while two adults were taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, said Larry Merritt, a spokesman for the Chicago Fire Department.

The children, both boys, were ages 5 and 6, and the adults sent to Stroger were a man, 34, and a woman, 28, according to Officer Jennifer Bryk, a police spokeswoman. The 33-year-old man who was driving the van and a 27-year-old woman were taken to Mount Sinai, police said. The patients’ conditions were stabilized at the hospitals, police said.

No firefighters were injured.

The crash happened when the driver of the van failed to yield to the fire engine and collided with the rear of the engine, police said. The driver was cited with citations alleging failure to yield to an emergency vehicle, operating an uninsured motor vehicle, failing to use a required child restrain system and failure of a driver to use a seat belt, police said.

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